Gombau not scared of Roar despite difficulties

Adelaide United FC Coach Josep Gombau might have a string of starting regulars grounded but he does not fear the giant prospect his team is faced with as they head to Brisbane to tackle the Roar at Suncorp Stadium.

Adelaide United FC Coach Josep Gombau might have a string of starting regulars grounded but he does not fear the giant prospect his team is faced with as they head to Brisbane to tackle the Roar at Suncorp Stadium.

Gombau is preparing to guide a Reds squad into battle without six key personnel who have played a combined total of 63 games and scored 14 goals between them this season.

With Brisbane Roar welcoming back the experienced Shane Stefanutto and prolific marksman Besart Berisha, on paper the odds appear to lean heavily in the league leader-s favour.

But while Gombau admits the mission to come back with something from the game will be difficult, he does not see it as a ‘scary- proposition.

“It-s not scary because for me when we played against them here, for us it was a very good game,” Gombau recalled of the Round 9 clash when the Roar ran out narrow 2-1 winners at Coopers Stadium.

“It is true that we are going there with a lot of difficulties. We have a lot of injuries to players that are important to us, players that normally play in the first eleven.”

“When you lose four or five players that are normally playing you are less strong but we are not scared.

“With all of the players that we have lost for this game we will have to take a lot of youth and less experienced players but in the end this is football, we can win there and the players can do very well.”

Gombau will not risk rushing back instrumental playmaker Marcelo Carrusca who will spend another week on the sidelines recovering from a knee contusion and groin soreness, while the lack of match conditioning and fact he has only been with the squad two days is set to see new signing Ryan Griffiths start his first game in a Reds shirt on the bench.

“Yesterday we had a chat and he (Griffiths) is not in his best condition at this moment for the competition, he needs time and it is like he is in pre season at the moment,” Gombau said.

“He is in the equivalent of the fifth week of pre season that a player has and for tomorrow we expect that he can help us but not in the first eleven because he-s not ready to play 90 minutes.”

Helping the Reds- cause against the Roar is the return of Jeronimo from suspension, the Argentine with four goals to his name in Season 9 and Gombau will be hoping he can add to that tally on Saturday. Midfielder Cameron Watson is another inclusion having overcome a back problem.

Unbeaten in their past four games, the Reds can approach the game with confidence and Gombau can see no reason why United cannot take something from the game, which it has done in ten of its 12 games at Suncorp Stadium.

“We need to win and we need to think that we need to win,” Gombau said.

“Of course after if you go there and take a point it-s good but you can not go with the mentality that if you draw it is ok - you need to try to win.”

Meanwhile, it is the first time left back Michael Zullo will return to Brisbane to face his former side since he left the Roar for Holland in 2010.